Big Bang Theory and Vasquez Rocks

 (Picture taken from the 14 Antelope Valley Freeway)

 Geology 101 made me a total natural science nerd.  It was one of those college general ed. classes I was absolutely dreading, but in the end I was completely loving.  Whenever I now see an interesting rock formation, I like to try and figure out how in Earth's history it was formed.

The above rocks are viewed from the Antelope Valley Freeway in the Santa Clarita area, Los Angeles County.  In the last 10 years I've driven by this place many times on the way to Ventura, and each time I get super excited.  

Seeing the rocks only lasts a minute or so, but right before it happens I seem to know it's just around the corner.  This happy feeling bubbles up inside letting me know.  (Geology nerd.)  On all those trips I never found out what the rocks are called, only that the Escondido Canyon Road exit would lead me to it.  Since we tend to pass this way towards the end of the day, usually after 10 hours on the road, we never pull off to check it out.

Funny enough, thanks to a Big Bang Theory episode I finally know the name of the rocks!  They're the Vasquez Rocks.  Leonard and the gang are heading to a convention in Bakersfield, only to get distracted by a spontaneous photo shot.  Honestly, their Star Trek: The Next Generation cosplay outfits are awesome.

But in the Big Bang Theory episode "The Bakersfield Expedition," it was mentioned that several Star Trek scenes were filmed at Vasquez Rocks . . . suddenly images of 1994's Star Trek Generations flashed in front of me, and an overwhelming feeling of stupidity engulfed. 

Somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind I must have made the Star Trek connection with these rocks, so I was being a geeky nerd on two accounts!!!

  

And I now know how these rocks were formed.  From wikipedia: "The Vasquez Rocks were formed via Quaternary sediments deposited in alluvial fans, approximately 25 million years ago, from the erosion of the San Gabriel mountains located to the south.  The collision of the North American and Pacific Plates created an anticline, due to the Elkhorn Fault, that then weathered away from the top."

I actually understood that, but this makes me regret selling back my geology book to the college book store . . . the life of a poor student.